Simmer
by fay-marie1993
Summary: A sweet angsty one shot between Katara and Zuko. Bashes Aang some. You've been warned. Katara and Zuko have grown closer through the years. Zuko realizes new feelings he has for his friend but doesn't understand what is holding him back from making Katara his. (Read while listening Do I Wanna Know? from the Arctic Monkeys)


The summer house was quiet. Everyone was in bed asleep except for Zuko. The sake tasted too good and he needed to be outside with the ocean. It was getting late and he heard soft footsteps coming from behind him. His gut feeling knew who it was so he turned around to face her.

The bottle of alcohol was the first thing Katara noticed. "Still drinking?" she asked. Zuko took a deep sip and smirked.

"A little more won't hurt," he replied.

"I'm guessing you are still thinking about Mae?" Katara asked as she sat down beside Zuko to get a view of the water.

"And the upcoming meetings, and the traveling, and the peace treaties," Zuko rambled. Katara could smell the sake on his breath. She wondered just how much he had drank that evening. "Are you still upset about Aang leaving for a while?" he added. Katara decided the alcohol on his breath smelled sexy and made him have more of an edge that every girl gushed about.

"I'll live," she sighed as she looked up at the sky.

Zuko knew Katara and Aang had a huge fight that nearly cost them their whole relationship. It was Zuko who she had come crying to and even though he had his own issues with Mae leaving him, he was there for her. Of all people, Katara had come to him. They both had grown closer over the past few years. Zuko swore Katara had an old soul. When it came to her advice, he always secretly treasured it. He wished deep down he could have someone like her to help him rule a nation that had a bad reputation for so many years. She was the type of friend he had late night talks with and he knew whatever he said to her would go no further. She would never say a word and she had never failed him on that. Zuko found himself beginning to become attached to her. He sometimes found himself daydreaming about her.

Katara wasn't sure if it was the alcohol but Zuko put his arm lazily around her shoulder. "I'm going to miss you," he whispered.

"It's just for about a month," Katara told him. "The South Pole needs help and I can't be in three places at once." Zuko took another deep sip and spilled some in his lap. Katara water bended it off of his pants.

He was too drunk to say thanks. His arm felt heavy around her shoulders so he moved closer to relieve some of the weight. She didn't seem to mind. Katara was one of the few people he could talk to about anything and now she would be gone for a month. Her relationship with Aang was hanging by a thread. She was tired of the traveling and everything being about him and his "Avatar duties". Aang didn't seem to have a lot of time with her. The stress made him grumpy. It pissed Zuko off so much to see him blow Katara off when she wanted to do something with him. He was the Avatar and he could say no to some things. It seemed to be all about reputation. If only he knew how many times Zuko saw Katara in tears over it. She kept strong around her other friends but allowed Zuko to be the one to comfort her.

Katara enjoyed the warmth radiating off him. Even though Aang could fire bend, his natural body heat was nothing compared to Zuko's. Katara ran her fingers through her long hair that she had let down for the night.

"I'm really nervous," she finally admitted.

"You can always write to me, you know that," Zuko told her. "And I'm just a few days away by boat."

"I wish Aang would stay that close," Katara mumbled. She regretted saying it because the reality always hit her when she did.

"Don't worry about him. If he thinks he is too busy to be there for you, screw him! Because there is always someone else that will be there if he won't," Zuko said while feeling a bit frustrated. He couldn't tell if it was the sake or his true feelings.

"But he's the Avatar!" Katara answered sarcastically. "He's supposed to be there for the people and put family and romance second!"

Zuko felt his anger beginning to boil again but remained calm. Lately he wondered how she would respond if he asked why she didn't leave Aang. If the shit ever hit the fan, Zuko new for a fact he would be the first one Katara would come to. He wouldn't make her regret it. He could offer her so much more but knew Katara wasn't the material type. She could live with him in the palace and would not have to worry about a thing.

It took him a minute to realize Katara was looking at him. He saw sadness and longing in her eyes. He remembered the first time she allowed him to see her true feelings. That was when she sought out the fire bender who murdered her mother and made the decision not to kill him. Zuko never spoke about the night they had together. He never confessed how much he truly wanted to kiss her then and many times before. He felt the same thing now.

"I've never told anyone this, but a few weeks ago I thought I was pregnant," she added. Zuko nearly spilled his sake.

"Why didn't you tell me? I could have had the fire sages at the palace take a look at you," Zuko said calmly.

"I wasn't sure and I didn't want to make a big deal out of it and worry you or Aang," Katara looked at the ground. "I was so scared." She was sobbing now. Zuko couldn't handle it and moved to hug her from behind.

"It's going to be ok," Zuko soothed her. He was normally horrible at comforting people. He soon realized those few words were what Katara needed. If only Aang could see that. Aang was the best boyfriend Katara could ask for. He treated her right and tried to spoil her. He knew how to have fun. But he put a lot of it on hold to take care of the world. It was like he forgot he had his future wife standing in front of him. When Mai left, Zuko felt lonely and drank a lot. Katara pulled him out of it and quite literally slapped him in the face with reality. Drinking wasn't going to bring Mai or any other respected female to him. Zuko just wasn't good at feelings or friends. Katara helped wake him up to it. When Iroh had a heart attack that scared all of them, she was the one that stayed up with Zuko all night waiting for the news. When the sages came out and said Iroh was recovering Zuko threw his arms around Katara and cried.

Zuko knew Katara's heart was breaking. He kissed the side of her head and caught the smell of flowers and spice mixed together. It made his heart race. If only she would turn around, he would really kiss her. Screw the rest of the world.

She didn't want to leave his arms after the tears stopped. Zuko was quiet and the scent of alcohol on his breath was still as sexy as ever. Even when he had a minor drinking problem after Mai had left, a drunk Zuko seemed fascinating to her. He didn't get as angry and he had a strange calmness about him when he was drunk. After Katara had convinced him to stop he only drank on special occasions or would have a small amount a few times a month. She had thought it over many times to say she was at the South Pole but really be in the Fire Nation palace. Aang wouldn't have to know. She could break up with him while he was doing whatever he did half way across the world.

He knew she didn't want to leave Aang though. The two had too much history together. Sometimes Zuko wondered if Katara was part of the show the Avatar made in public. If you can master all four elements, you might as well have the heart of the beautiful water bender of the South Pole right? The thought just pissed Zuko off and he pushed it to the back of his mind. The last thing he needed was a fight with the Avatar. Katara finally turned around and snuggled into Zuko's embrace. They comforted each other.

They both had to realize things would work out the way it was meant to eventually. Katara had a tight grip on Zuko's shirt and he had both his arms wrapped around her back with the bottle in one hand. He knew this wouldn't be the last time Katara would seek him out at night. It wouldn't be the last time for him either.


End file.
